La Plata County: New water authority pitching options for dry western side of county

From The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

A couple of dozen skeptical Dryside residents heard the assessment Tuesday evening from La Plata West Water Authority board members Roy Horvath, Tom Brossia, Mae Morley and Kirk Peine. The board is starting to unveil the project publicly, which has been the subject of three reports since 2003.
“We want to familiarize you with the options,” Horvath, the board vice chairman, said. “A lot of issues remain to be resolved.” The La Plata West Water Authority was created in 2007 to draw water from Lake Nighthorse, located a mile southwest of Bodo Industrial Park in Durango, for use in western La Plata County…

At build-out in 20 to 40 years, the system would have 35 million gallons of water a day available for an estimated 8,100 taps. Residents now use well water for bathing or washing dishes and clothes, while trucking in drinking water. So far, however, only a $5.7 million intake structure has been built on Lake Nighthorse. Missing are a water-treatment plant, a storage tank, a trunk line and lateral distribution lines. Total capital costs exceed $96 million. An estimated $2 million must be found to pay the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority for the 700 acre-feet of water the authority would use.

More infrastructure coverage here.

Telluride Energy scores $20,000 for hydroelectric plant at Mayflower Mill

From the Silverton Standard & The Miner (Mark Esper):

Telluride Energy has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the USDA Rural Development Renewable Energy for America Program to install an 8-kilowatt micro-hydro turbine at the Mayflower Mill near Silverton. The San Juan County Historical Society is in the process of developing the small power plant. “I am excited that USDA Rural Development can play a part in this project,” said Jim Isgar, USDA Colorado State director. “Through the REAP program, loan guarantees and grants can be used for renewable energy systems, energy efficiency improvements, feasibility studies and energy audits.” The project will utilize the currently unused energy available in the existing water supply pipeline which flows down Arrastra Gulch to supply water to the Mayflower Mill. “Once completed, the project will generate local clean energy, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 80,000 pounds annually and enhancing fire protection for a National Historic Landmark,” said Kurt Johnson of Telluride Energy.

More hydroelectric coverage here and here.

Durango: Five Rivers Chapter of Colorado Trout Unlimited finishes Animas restoration project

From Colorado Trout Unlimited (Ty Churchwell):

After three years of raising money, advocating and planning, the largest and most ambitious 5 Rivers TU project to date is complete…

The section of the Animas below 9th street, along Roosa Ave., was determined to be the highest priority, this due to its visibility and proximity to the downtown corridor and the tree assets in peril. Additionally, trout habitat in this section was minimal and in need of improvement. Many of our visiting anglers find this water to be the most convenient for their quick afternoon outings while the family shops.

More Animas River watershed coverage here and here.

Durango: Study of sediment sources in Lightner Creek underway

From The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

A coalition of public agencies has acquired funding for a three-phase hydrological study to answer questions that have stumped observers for years: Where does the sediment that Lightner Creek periodically dumps into the Animas River come from, and why? Field work on the study, begun this week, could be done by the end of the year and lead to answers to an environmental problem seen as a potential source of harm to renowned fishing waters. “Sediment comes and goes, but no one knows whether it’s natural or human-induced,” Meghan Maloney, river campaign director at the San Juan Citizens Alliance, said recently. “The reason for concern is that Lightner Creek runs into the Animas at the head of a trout fishery that the Colorado Division of Wildlife gives its highest rating – gold medal.”[...]

Three organizations put up funding for a study – Trout Unlimited $1,000, the Colorado Water Conservation Board $5,000 and the Southwestern Water Conservation District $2,600 – to hire Mark Oliver of Basin Hydrology. Oliver started his field work this week. “I started at the mouth where Lightner Creek runs into the Animas and I’m working my way upstream,” Oliver said. “I’m looking at the channel and flood plain for sediment sources that could come from bank erosion or land-use modification. “The Tech Center watershed and Perins Canyon seem likely sources of silt,” Oliver said. “But my study will confirm whether the deposition is coming from there.” At certain points, Oliver will do sieve analysis – measuring the size of sediment particles. Along with a cross-section analysis of the channel – width, depth and slope – he can determine the movement of sediment. “I’ll focus on sediment sources and the mechanics of how sediment gets to the mouth,” Oliver said. “Then I’ll try to determine if the sediment is natural or caused by people – for example, the landfill above the Tech Center.”

More Animas River watershed coverage here and here.

Animas River: Low flows to end the water year

FromThe Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

Statistics from the U.S. Geological Survey show the daily flow in the Animas last month averaged 194 cubic feet per second while the 2002 average flow was 317 cfs. A USGS graph shows the flow in the Animas last month was well below the 97-year average of 463 cfs for September. The 194 cfs of last month compares to a 97-year average that fluctuated from 400 to slightly more than 300 cfs. Since 2002, the September flow in the Animas had rebounded. In 2003, the Animas carried a daily average flow of 589 cfs. Then from 2004 through 2008, the average daily flow in September was 600, 344, 489, 656 and 343 cfs. The all-time low flow in the Animas in September apparently was in 1956, when the river carried a daily average of 161 cfs. Other years when the September flow averaged less than this year were 1974 (174 cfs), 1978 (201 cfs), 1959 (208 cfs) and 1953 (211 cfs).

More Animas River coverage here.

Hermosa Creek: Prime cutthroat habitat

From The Durango Herald (Paul Shepard):

The Hermosa Creek basin has two outstandingly remarkable values: recreation, and fish and wildlife. Virtually all outdoor recreation activities are allowed including mountain biking, hunting, fishing, camping, off-roading, horses, hiking, climbing, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing and recreational vehicles. The basin also supports local agriculture with grazing allotments. To build on the outstandingly remarkable value of fish and wildlife, the Colorado River cutthroat trout reintroduction program is under way, with the Division of Wildlife working with the Forest Service…

Hermosa Creek is considered to be the top location in Colorado because it meets the criteria needed for success, including a waterfall on the East Fork to act as a barrier. If a waterfall is not available, a man-made one must be built. The barriers are needed to keep invasive trout from moving upstream and compromising the native-only populations. Barriers cannot be built just anywhere. Available geologic features must include sufficient gradient and a pinch-point. Additionally, a road must be near for equipment and stocking trucks. Such a road exists in Hermosa Park…

Nearly two decades ago, the Forest Service began this process by acquiring Purgatory Flats on the East Fork of Hermosa via a land swap. In 1991, the Division of Wildlife turned this reach into a cutthroat-only fishery above Sig Creek falls. Two years ago, a man-made barrier was built on the main stem at Hotel Draw, and the reintroduction is ongoing. Once the main stem is completed, this will create two separate populations. Thus far, the cutthroat reintroduction program is considered to be a success. However, the ultimate goal is to connect these two populations, allowing for movement between drainages and promoting population diversity. The Hermosa Park private parcel is the limiting factor to complete success. This is because the confluence of these two sections resides on this private property and is out of the jurisdiction of the Forest Service…

Two years ago, Hermosa Creek received the designation of “Outstanding Waters” by the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission. The creek has such high water quality that, by law, it can’t be compromised. Hermosa Creek is the only stream in Colorado with this designation outside of a national park or wilderness area. Also, the Hermosa Creek watershed is Colorado’s largest unprotected roadless area. Literally tens of thousands of acres are so pristine, they are eligible for wilderness designation. And all this is little more than a half hour’s drive from Durango. However, the Hermosa Park private parcel sits right in the middle of this amazing open space. In an open and public workgroup formed in 2008, unrelated to the land swap issues, a consensus values statement for the Hermosa basin was articulated as: The Hermosa Creek area is exceptional because it is a large, intact (unfragmented) natural watershed containing diverse ecosystems, including fish, plants and wildlife over a broad elevation range, and supports a variety of uses, including recreation and grazing, in the vicinity of a large town.

This diverse working group – ocs.fortlewis.edu/riverprotection/Hermosa – sees the value of an intact watershed and recognizes the special and unique characteristics of the Hermosa Creek area.

More Hermosa Creek watershed coverage here.

CWCB: La Plata Archuleta Water District scores $400,000 from board for creation of district

From The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

“We’ve been working on the master plan over the summer,” Steve Harris, the principal in Durango-based Harris Water Engineering, said Thursday. “It will identify sources of water and the general layout of the pipelines and the order of installation.” The Animas and Pine rivers are the desired choices to provide water for the system, Harris said. Although no sources of water have been secured, the district would like to get half from the Pine, half from the Animas. Pine River water would be taken from the diversion point used by the town of Bayfield, which would partner with the water district in building a new water-treatment plant next to the town’s existing plant, Harris said. The water would serve customers in the eastern part of the district, Harris said. Animas River water, which would serve residents on Florida Mesa, would be diverted from the outlet on the Ridges Basin dam southwest of Bodo Industrial Park, treated at a plant yet to be constructed and then piped to Florida Mesa, Harris said…

Harris said there are 4,000 houses in the water district service area, but not all need or want a connection. Projections estimate the district will have 4,000 customers over 50 years. “But the advantage is that even without a single new house, the system is feasible,” Harris said. “It is not dependent on growth.” The district has been a long time in coming, Harris said. Most rural communities on the Western Slope have drinking-water systems, he said. Harris said the state agency grant allows work to continue on the master plan and permit acquisition from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and La Plata County.

More coverage of the recent CWCB grants from The Denver Post:

The Colorado Water Conservation Board has awarded $3.3 million in grants to 14 water projects across the state and approved more than $2 million in loans for four projects. Director Jennifer Gimbel says the grants included two totaling about $1 million to address water supplies and infrastructure in the south Denver area. The Fort Morgan Reservoir and Irrigation Co. in eastern Colorado will get a $670,000 grant in part for a wetlands project.

More CWCB coverage here.

Silverton: School officials cautiously optimistic about potential for geoexchange project

From the Silverton Standard & The Miner (Mark Esper):

A huge drill rig from Geo-Energy Services pulled into town last week and was parked on the school playground. On Friday, drilling began. The drillers worked through one hole to 210 feet, said Sue Morris, owner’s representative for the school district’s massive renovation project…

Morris said the goal of the first hole was to drill to 360 feet, but ground conditions prohibited further drilling.
Nonetheless, the drilling hit a constant water source pumping at 5 gallons per minute and approximately 47.5 degrees, Morris said. “These conditions are good for geo-exchange,” she said…

Josh Druege, mechanical engineer for Geo-Energy Services, was on the playground last week as drilling began.
“What we’re anticipating here is finding ground with a temperature of about 45 degrees,” Druege said. “We can still extract heat from that.” He said the process involves using “just a little bit of energy” to boost refrigerants to a level that is extractible to be converted to heat. A system for the school and gym, he suggested, if it is found feasible, might involve 60 loops of small tubes each moving three or four gallons of refrigerant per minute deep below the playground.

More geothermal coverage here and here.

Durango: Animas River bank stabilization project

From The Durango Herald (Garrett Andrews):

Ridgway company Western Stream Works will be installing boulder structures to divert water away from Roosa Avenue starting in early September. Boulders will also be placed at points in the river to improve fish habitat, minimize erosion, protect existing cottonwood trees and lessen the current undercutting the steeper sections of the riverbank. The four- to six-week project is being funded through an $86,400 Colorado Division of Wildlife Fishing is Fun grant, which was secured through the efforts of local nonprofits Animas RiverKeeper and the Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Three years ago, the two groups raised about $8,000 to prepare a study of the section of the Animas River corridor falling under the city’s authority that highlighted areas overdue for repair. Trout Unlimited prioritized the list of nine trouble spots and presented the Durango City Council with a project proposal.

More Animas River watershed here and here.

Southwestern Water Conservation District looking into state’s 10,460 acre-feet share of the Animas-La Plata project

From The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

But if Colorado doesn’t exercise its option – pay its share of project construction costs by the time final cost calculations are made – its 10,460 acre-feet of water (5,230 acre-feet of depletion, as it’s known) pass in equal shares to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. The two tribes already own the majority of the A-LP water. Neither Ute tribe responded immediately to a request Monday to comment on the possible use of extra water. Southwestern Executive Director Bruce Whitehead said at the Silverton meeting that the district could be called on someday to help hands-on water districts or water providers acquire water. Southwestern addresses only broad issues of water supply and demand that affect six counties and parts of three others in the watersheds of the Animas, San Juan, Dolores and San Miguel rivers. “If we can help other districts or water providers, it might be worth looking at the state water,” Whitehead said…

Two recently formed water-interest groups already have told the state they could use some of its water. They are the La Plata-Archuleta Water District, organized to bring drinking water to southeast La Plata County and southwest Archuleta County, and the La Plata West Water Authority, which would do the same for southwest La Plata County. La Plata West already has 700 acre-feet of usable A-LP water through the Animas La Plata Water Conservancy District, an A-LP sponsor, but it hasn’t found funding to pay for it. The conservancy district also acquired 1,900 acre-feet of usable water for the city of Durango. The Ute tribes joined La Plata West in paying for a $6 million water intake structure on Lake Nighthorse to serve the southwest corner of the county. In exchange, the tribe can use the La Plata West treatment plant and trunk lines for its own projects.

More Animas River watershed coverage here.

Silverton: Acid mine drainage workshop

Here’s a recap of yesterday’s acid mine drainage workshop held up in Silverton, from Dale Rodebaugh writing for the Cortez Journal. From the article:

An all-day workshop Saturday, one of the Moving Mountain Education Seminar series sponsored by the Mountain Studies Institute here, brought together 20 people interested in talking about and seeing the consequences of acid-rock drainage – the leaching of minerals into waterways. The workshop was led by David Borrok, a professor in the geological sciences department at the University of Texas at El Paso, and Rob Runkel, Richard Wanty and Andy Manning, all with the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver…

Workshop participants, who spent the day in Prospect Gulch a few miles north of town, got an eyeful and an earful of information. Runoff from numerous Prospect Gulch tributary watersheds feed Cement Creek, whose yellowish-colored channel is evidence of the presence of iron. In fact, the caravan stopped twice to view ferricretes – iron oxide formations with their telltale reddish hue that are created when iron reacts with water and air. An ancient ferricrete was visible in a creekside cliff. The other – a terraced formation adjacent to the stream – is still forming. Iron also is responsible for the color of terrain on nearby Red Mountain Pass – the reaction of pyrites (fool’s gold) with air…

The presence of ferricretes is evidence that some streams in the region were metal-rich and acidic before mining came into its own in the region in the late 1870s, Runkel said. “Minerals are stable in the ground but react with oxygen and water when brought to the surface,” Runkel said. “No one knows the quantity of metals in the water before mining started.” He cautioned that accurate hydrological studies are required to establish standards for cleaning up contaminated mines and waterways.

Later in the day Runkel demonstrated how the dilution of a tracer solution shows the level of metal loading from different sources. Runkel poured half a bucketful of rhodamine, an organic dye, into a rivulet on the upper reaches of Prospect Gulch. A sonde with a sensor that emits light at the same wavelength as the fluorescent dye traces the flow of the additive as it moves downstream. Similar studies have been conducted on Cement Creek and other streams above Silverton as part of the Abandoned Mine Lands Initiative, he said. At the Galena Queen mine, workshop participants tested the acidity and electrical conductivity of water in the shaft. They also compared the qualities of the mine water to surface water. At a well on a bench immediately above Cement Creek, Manning explained how to age-date water. Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen (one of the components of water) has a half-life of 13 years, meaning that in 13 years half of any tritium decays to become helium-3. Consequently, the ratio of tritium to helium in water indicates its age. Rain will have a high ratio of tritium to helium-3 while the reverse is true for slow-moving subterranean water. “Age-dating will tell how an aquifer works and how much water it can supply,” Manning said.

More water pollution coverage here.

Animas-La Plata news

From Fox Business:

BTrenchless, a division of BT Construction, Inc. in Henderson, CO, recently completed two tunnels vital to the construction of the Animas La Plata Reservoir in Durango, Colorado. The tunnels, 370 and 130 feet in length, were completed utilizing a Robbins Motorized SBU. Unique to this project, the boring equipment was recovered mid-air employing a hydraulic crane in a 15-foot diameter shaft, 118 feet deep.

More Animas River coverage here.

La Plata Water Authority West takes possession of Lake Nighthorse intake structure

From The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

Board members of the La Plata West Water Authority last week took possession of an intake structure at what will be Lake Nighthorse when a reservoir in Ridges Basin just west of Bodo Industrial Park is full. The lake is part of the Animas-La Plata Project, commonly known as A-LP, a Bureau of Reclamation project to provide drinking water for three Native American tribes and nontribal partners in Colorado and New Mexico.

While the authority is confident it has most of the $6 million cost of the intake lined up, it must start looking for $1.5 million to $2 million to buy the 700 acre-feet of water it wants from the water project. The water is owned by the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority, which also holds 1,900 acre-feet of A-LP water earmarked for the city of Durango…

The intake consists of a vertical shaft and two pipelines perpendicular to it on what will be the northwest shore of Lake Nighthorse. The shaft is 120 feet deep and 17 feet in diameter. At right angles to it are two pipelines, each 3 feet in diameter, one 870 feet long that will draw water from 100 feet beneath the surface and one 152 feet long that will take water from 50 feet. The intake had to be finished before the level of water in Lake Nighthorse covered the location. The lake, which has a capacity of 120,000 acre-feet of water, is being filled by pumping water from the Animas River near Santa Rita Park.

When complete – at an estimated cost of $95 million – the system will bring water to as many as 3,600 dwellings in the unincorporated communities of Breen, Kline, Marvel and Redmesa, a 250-square-mile area straddling County Road 140. Area residents currently fill containers at a spring in Marvel or truck in water. The remainder of the project consists of a water-treatment plant, pump stations, storage tanks and about 40 miles of trunk lines that would carry water to County Road 140, then south to the New Mexico line, said Gene Bradley, a La Plata West board member. The number of miles of branch lines hasn’t yet been determined, he said. Two locations are being considered for the treatment plant – two miles north of the intake along realigned County Road 211 or at Blue Hill just south of the Shenandoah subdivision, Bradley said. Either way, water would be pumped to Blue Hill from where distribution would rely on gravity. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe will contribute $3 million and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe will contribute $1.5 million toward the cost of the $6 million intake. The tribes, which received $20 million each when the irrigation component of the A-LP was removed, must spend 75 percent of their “resource funds” on nontribal projects. Other than the Ute tribes, there is no sure funding for the distribution system, which is expected to be built piecemeal over a number of years, Bradley said. The authority board is looking for local, state and federal money, including stimulus funds, to complete the project, he said.

More Coyote Gulch Animas River coverage here and here.

Durango: City Council approves modified stormwater regulations

From The Durango Herald (Jason Gonzales):

The amendments adhere to state standards, which address a few key points, said Kinsey Holton, storm-water quality program coordinator for the city:

•A permit now can be issued to a developer or general contractor along with the property owner.

•A lot without landscaping that is sold to a homeowner can be removed from storm-water management coverage.

•The city now has the power to enforce a fee schedule. The fee schedule will allow inspectors to cite permit holders without stopping work entirely, Holton said.

“It gives us an alternate tool instead of having to issue a stop-work order for a site that isn’t in compliance,” he said. “When stop-work orders are issued it sends everyone home, from the electrician to the plumbers who don’t have anything to do with the regulations.”

More Coyote Gulch stormwater coverage here.

Storage (runoff) news: Lake Nighthorse 20% full

From The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

As of Wednesday the dam was holding back 25,000 acre-feet of water, slightly more than 20 percent of its capacity. The deepest point in the lake was 95 feet, with 87 vertical feet to go, Artichoker said. The amount of water the Bureau of Reclamation can take from the Animas River for Lake Nighthorse, one component of the Animas-La Plata Project, depends on the flow in the river. From April through September the agency must allow a minimum flow of 225 cubic feet per second below the pumping plant to satisfy the demands of downstream water-right holders and provide water for fish species; in October and November, the minimum flow is 160 cfs; and December through March, 125 cfs.

On Wednesday, the Animas flow peaked at 483 cfs, down from 766 cfs a week ago, 1,110 cfs two weeks ago and 2,110 cfs on July 1. Since frequent rain has done little to boost the flow, the Bureau of Reclamation has limited the amount it pumps to Lake Nighthorse, just over a ridge to the southwest from Bodo Industrial Park. The current 225 cfs downstream demand would allow the agency to pump considerably more than the 110 cfs it was taking on Wednesday.

Pumping into Lake Nighthorse will cease in August for 30 days. The hiatus will allow for saturation of the core of the earth-filled dam and give engineers a chance to check filling criteria devised by dam designers and safety engineers. “We don’t want to shock the dam by putting a big load on it all of a sudden,” Artichoker said. “We want to ease the dam into its function.” Piezometers will measure water level; inclinometers will show if there is settling or bending in the structure; brass embankment measurement points on the top of the dam also measure settlement; and a toe-drain system on the downstream side of the dam will indicate if there is seepage. “Information so far tells us that this dam is really tight, but we want to see if it’s performing as anticipated,” Artichoker said. “There won’t be any pumping, but there will be monitoring done 24/7.”

More Coyote Gulch Animas River watershed coverage here and here.

Durango: City is moving to get a voice on Animas-La Plata board

The city of Durango is hoping to get a voice on the governing board for the Animas-La Plata project. Here’s a report from Dale Rodebaugh writing for the Durango Herald. From the article:

In addition to helping craft decisions as the Animas-La Plata Project moves forward, the city also wants a say in other projects involving the river. “It makes sense because Durango has invested significant money to have enough Animas River water to operate a whitewater boat park at Smelter Rapid,” Mayor Leigh Meigs said Friday. “We need to be at the table.” Meigs was speaking about a 2007 negotiated settlement signed by water court judge Gregory Lyman that ended three years of wrangling between Durango and 50 other water users or interested parties and averted a trial.

As for A-LP, in 2005, the city put up slightly more than $1 million to cover the installation of equipment that will transfer A-LP water to a city treatment facility. The city share of construction costs was estimated at $5 million…

City Manager Ron LeBlanc said a seat on the water district board is necessary in order to plan confidently. “We need to protect water interests of 16,000 residents and up to 19,000 visitors daily who ride the train or come to town to bank,” LeBlanc said. “Since water district board members aren’t elected, the city has no guarantees. We’re used to electing representatives.” Durango also is scheduled to annex the property on which the A-LP pumping plant sits. The pumping plant, located on the banks of the Animas a short distance downstream of Smelter Rapid, draws water from the river for Lake Nighthorse, the human-made reservoir over the ridge from Bodo Industrial Park.

As matters now stand, Durango can’t count on having a designated seat on the water district board. The district has three zones – the outlying Shenandoah and Rafter J subdivisions (three seats), the so-called Dryside around Breen and Marvel (seven seats) and incorporated Durango (five seats). The five Durango members are residents of the city but don’t speak for it. Bob Wolff is chairman of the water district board, a resident of Durango and a member of the city’s water commission, said Barry Spear, legal counsel for the water district. Wolff knows city positions well, but doesn’t represent it, Spear said…

Otherwise, statutes governing board membership don’t allow for special-interest appointments, Spear said. When there is a vacancy, the opening is advertised for 30 days and anyone who owns property and has lived for a minimum of one year in a district may apply. Judge Lyman considers applicants on the basis of knowledge of and/or participation in water issues, Spear said. An applicant backed by City Council wouldn’t automatically be accepted or rejected for either reason, he said. A case in point: One of the seven Dryside board members has moved out of the area. Applications to replace him will be accepted until July 26. Interested parties, however, must meet all requirements, which include being a resident of the district.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Animas-La Plata project management

From CBS4Denver.com:

Federal officials are negotiating with tribal and local officials in southwest Colorado and New Mexico on the cost of operating and maintaining a new water storage and distribution system. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is in talks with the governments involved on how the Animas-La Plata system will be run. Negotiations started in March and resume this week.

More coverage from The Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is scheduled to resume negotiations Tuesday with Animas-La Plata Project beneficiaries, including the city of Durango, on several issues – including how much each partner will pay for operations and maintenance of the potable-water project. On the table also will be the level of oversight of the federal agency (which owns the project), what facilities and equipment will be transferred to the operator and the timing of certain events.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Animas-La Plata project: Crest gate problems causing project to miss high spring runoff

Reclamation has had to stop pumping water to Lake Nighthorse due to problems with the crest gates. Here’s a report from Katie Burford writing for the Durango Herald via the Cortez Journal. From the article:

Problems with the crest gates, which are part of an intake structure that allows water to flow into a forebay or fish screen area before it is pumped up the hill, caused the system to be shut down since early last week. “It’s a minor issue, but it keeps us from pumping any water,” said Barry Longwell, the bureau’s deputy construction engineer for the project. The gates are air operated, and one of the lines has become pinched. The result is that the gates can be moved only to the all-the-way-down or all-the-way-up positions.

Although the problem is expected to be remedied within a couple of days, the malfunction occurs as the river is flowing high from the spring snowmelt, which came unusually early this year. Tyler Artichoker, first-fill project manager, said officials had optimistically projected Lake Nighthorse could be full by July 2010, but that depended on being able to take advantage of the seasonal high flow.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Animas-La Plata Project: Recreation taking shape for Lake Nighthorse

From the Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh):

The Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy District board, which stepped up almost two months ago to fill a vacuum surrounding recreation at Lake Nighthorse, has put its other foot forward. Board members Tuesday voted to look for about $200,000 to hire someone to develop a recreation blueprint. Other entities that could do the job, including Colorado State Parks, have said they have no money for such an undertaking.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Animas-La Plata Project: Animas River pumping station to go online today

The Animas-La Plata hits a huge milestone today as the pumps will will be turned on to start the first fill of Lake Nighthorse behind the Ridges Basin Dam. Here’s a report from Dale Rodebaugh writing for the Durango Herald. From the article:

The project is being built by the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that has been testing equipment at the pumping station for two weeks. “We’re transitioning from testing to the real thing now,” Barry Longwell, deputy construction engineer, said Thursday as he led a tour of the pumping plant. “The reservoir will be filled gradually on an as-it-goes basis.”

The first fill will take 18 months to three years, depending on such factors as the flow in the Animas, the demand of senior water-right holders downstream, the amount of water needed for environmental commitments in the Animas and the capacity of the pumping station, Longwell said. The lake will be off limits until the reservoir is full. While recreation – including boating – is planned, nothing has been finalized.

Eight pumps – two each with a capacity of 14 and 28 cubic feet of water per second, respectively, and four with 56 cfs capacity – will be used. A cubic foot of water per second will produce nearly 2 acre-feet in 24 hours. In a nutshell, the A-LP, as it’s known, consists of the reservoir (120,000-acre-foot Lake Nighthorse), the pumping station and a pipeline connecting the two as well as facilities in New Mexico for partners there, including the Navajo Nation.

All New Mexico partners in the project will draw their shares of water from the San Juan River, of which the Animas is a tributary. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe haven’t specified uses for their shares of the water. The La Plata West Water Authority plans to use water for the dry southwest corner of La Plata County where residents are on wells or haul water to their homes…

“It was important to settle Ute water claims because it gives some security to other water-right holders,” Isgar said. “The Utes have water rights dating to 1868, but while the rights were never quantified and adjudicated (in water court), they gave up those claims for water from the A-LP.” After all, the right to 100 percent of water from streams that go dry in the summer isn’t as prudent as having some water, albeit less, from a reliable year-round source, Isgar said…

The Colorado partners in the A-LP are the Southern Utes, the Ute Mountain Utes, the state of Colorado and the Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy District. The New Mexico partners are the Navajo Nation, the San Juan Water Commission and the La Plata Conservancy District. The capacity of the reservoir is 120,000 acre-feet but only 57,100 acre-feet of depletion is allowed. The three tribes have a right to 62 percent of the water, nontribal entities 38 percent. Evaporation will account for 2,700 acre-feet a year.

Click through and read the whole article. They’re running video of the dedication ceremonies for the dam last October, they’re running some great photos and there is a timeline for the trials and tribulations for the project.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.

Animas River restoration

From the Durango Herald (Dale Stode):

The west-side riverbank will get a full-scale makeover – a retro renovation – between Ninth Street and the Highway 160 bridge. The river and west-bank renovation project was announced recently when Durango received an $86,000 grant from the Colorado Division of Wildlife for bank stabilization and habitat improvement on that stretch of the Animas River. The DOW grant was one of the final pieces of a 3½-year jigsaw puzzle, put together through the nonprofit efforts of Trout Unlimited and the Animas Riverkeepers…

With Trout Unlimited looking for a hands-on project, and Animas Riverkeepers similarly seeking an immediate project, the two joined forces for downtown Durango’s river redevelopment effort. The groups raised $7,500 for a consultant’s study and the generation of architectural and engineering plans for the Animas River project. The study and the engineering plans became the foundation of the city’s backing and an eventual grant application with the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s Fishing is Fun program…

The recently authorized mitigation project will address two primary situations, Churchwell said. First, the unregulated foot traffic in the area will be managed. Big boulders and rocks will be placed along the riverbank. Trees and shrubs will be planted. All of the dead trees and vegetation will come out, he said. Stairways down the bank to the stream side will direct foot travel…

Secondly, he said, there will be in-stream work that will help move the primary flow of water to the middle of the river. “That will create much better trout habitat,” he said of the installation of the “J hooks” (rock berms) in the river. “And we’re keeping the boaters in mind with this,” he said, adding that the in-river work will be boater friendly for kayaks, canoes, rafts, etc…

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.

Animas River: Colorado Trout Unlimited’s 2009 Volunteer of the Year

From the Durango Telegraph:

One of Durango’s leading river stewards received national recognition last week. Ty Churchwell, of the Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited, was recognized as Colorado Trout Unlimited’s 2009 Volunteer of the Year last weekend at the group’s Spring Rendezvous. Churchwell commented that he volunteers out of a sense of obligation both to the Durango community and the Animas watershed. “Those trout keep me sane and our rivers are my ‘church,’” he said. “Healthy rivers are the lifeblood of our communities, and I’m thankful Durango recognizes the value of the Animas to our community.”

The award also spotlighted the Animas River Restoration Project, which Churchwell is helping to spearhead. The City of Durango was awarded an $86,000 grant from the Colorado Division of Wildlife for habitat improvements and bank stabilization for the stretch of river between 9th Street and the Highway 160 bridge. The project, which is planned for August, is meant to improve fish habitat while restoring riparian areas along the western river bank. With the high flows and increased use of the area in recent years, a number of native cottonwoods and shrubs along the banks have disappeared, leading to further erosion and habitat damage.

Animas River rehabilitation

From the Durango Telegraph “…the City of Durango was awarded an $86,000 grant from the Colorado Division of Wildlife for habitat improvements and bank stabilization for the stretch of river between 9th Street and the Highway 160 bridge. The project, which is planned for August, is meant to improve fish habitat while restoring riparian areas along the western river bank. With the high flows and increased use of the area in recent years, a number of native cottonwoods and shrubs along the banks have disappeared, leading to further erosion and habitat damage…

“Trout Unlimited along with Animas Riverkeepers was instrumental in securing the grant and getting the City of Durango on board with the project. The area to be worked on, which runs adjacent to Roosa Avenue, is city owned, making city cooperation crucial. The west side of the river, versus the east side adjacent to the River Trail and Doubletree, is being pinpointed because that is where the river takes a natural lefthand turn, scouring the west bank especially hard as a result…

“The project culminates three years of behind the scenes work by TU and Animas Riverkeepers. In addition to funding architectural and design plans, the groups conducted a study that examined and prioritized areas of degradation. Of the nine spots identified, Churchwell said Ninth Street was given the highest priority, with the Animas-La Plata intake area coming in second. ‘Ninth Street is the most visible, being right downtown,’ he said. He also said it was chosen because of its ease of access and room for improvement as far as the fishery goes. ‘As a fisherman, I spend 100-plus days a year on the Animas, and this is not the best place to fish. It’s lacking good trout habitat,’ he said. ‘But, for a lot of tourists, where they fish is the first place where they see the river. We want to show them what an amazing fishing experience the Animas can be.’ In addition to these improvements, Churchwell said plans also call for in-stream ‘j hooks’ to divert flow into the main river channel and established paths down to the river. ‘Part of the reason shrubbery won’t grow is because there is so much unregulated foot traffic down to the river,’ he said. ‘The work will include steps down to the river to encourage people to use them and not trample the vegetation.’”

Lake Nighthorse: No recreation management plan yet

From the Durango Herald (Dale Rodebaugh): “The issue of providing recreation at Lake Nighthorse is gaining no ground, and the economic downturn is making progress even more problematic. Neither Colorado State Parks nor the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation can oversee recreation at the reservoir being created by the Animas-La Plata Project southwest of Durango. At a public meeting held March 5 to discuss recreation at Lake Nighthorse, Bruce Whitehead, executive director of the Southwestern Water Conservation District, suggested that a public or public/private partnership could step forward to manage recreation. On Friday, he said the district stands ready to help move the process along.”

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Lake Nighthorse will have a surface of 1,500 acres when the Ridges Basin Reservoir is filled to capacity in 18 months to three years. The body of water, a controversial settlement of Native American water-right claims, will provide water for three Native American tribes in Colorado and New Mexico and nontribal users. When the project was downsized in 2000, an irrigation-water component and funding for recreation were removed (although recreation itself remained).

The 2000 environmental study of Lake Nighthorse described a recreation area that could accommodate 1,980 visitors at a time, with annual use topping 218,000 user days. There would be 196 campsites and 38 picnic areas, 10 miles of hiking trails, fishing and a four-lane boat ramp. Now only the boat ramp, funded from a different source, is a sure amenity. Through the efforts of state Sen. Jim Isgar, the state provided $750,000 of severance taxes that was used to leverage $2.25 million in Wallop-Breaux funds. Wallop-Breaux money comes from a federal fuel tax on motorboats and small engines. Ozga said the boat ramp must be in place within three years after the Animas-La Plata Project is completed. The Bureau of Reclamation plans to start filling the reservoir from the Animas River this spring. “We’ll open the boat ramp, but only the boat ramp, to the public after the reservoir is filled,” Ozga said. “But the rest of the area will remain closed until a manager and appropriate recreation facilities are in place. We have to protect the land from damage due to uncontrolled public use.”

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.